I Jokingly Told A Guy I Would Do One Article For Him For 100$ And He Said “That’s It”

[pheonix44]

I was explaining to a guy at the library what I do to make money. He sees me there everyday and he did not really get the gist of what I do. After he got the idea of what I do for a living he asked me how much would I charge him to write a thousand word article for him about “coffee mugs” that’s right coffee mugs.

I did not take him seriously so I thought I would have a little fun and tell him a price I believed no one would pay for one simple article. I told him I would charge one hundred dollars for a thousand word article for his website. I figured I would never see him again and I thought he would think the price outrageous.

He simply looked at me and said “is that it”. I kid you not; I was a little scared to go on figuring he would think it was too much. But he told me he was use to paying several hundreds of dollars for content and that my price was bargain basement.

I’m beginning to think that offline holds some good possibilities and I am looking into it. Has anyone else here had stories where they told someone a price offline thinking it was too high, only to find out that they saw your price as being too cheap?

I think sometimes we stay online so much that we think our rates are normal, sometimes we forget there are people who have never heard of elance or the warrior forum. There are people who do not know they can have articles written for a small amount of money. What do you guys think?

[Kevin Williams]

Wow, that makes me rethink some things. That's $.10 / word... a heck of a lot more than I would be used to working for on the internet. Unfortunately there would probably be more expectations, but still.

Just another reason that offline marketing is the big thing right now.

[Donald Truehart]

Magazine style writing for specific niches can be very profitable if your position yourself correctly.

[ALuth]

I think I need to go talk to people and position myself in the offline world if you can make that kind of money. Damn.

[pheonix44]

It wasn't magazine style writing, just writing an article for this guys personal blog.

[Dan C. Rinnert]

Although you kick yourself for not charging more, I think we all want more "is that all?" customers and fewer of the "that much!?!?!?" customers.

Especially in those cases when "that much!" is actually pretty reasonable, if not downright cheap.

[Bev Clement]

A writer I know was told the offline person expected to pay at least 3 times the amount they charged them.

$100 is what I normally charge for a 1,000 word article, and for web content it would have been $300. My rates are for online and offline. Last week we were paid $3 a word.

[Joseph Then]

One hundred dollars for a thousand word article? That's cheap...

[Talinn]

Originally Posted by Joseph Then

One hundred dollars for a thousand word article? That's cheap...

Yeah, should be more like one thousand dollars for a hundred word article

[nicholasb]

should of said $500

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by pheonix44

I did not take him seriously so I thought I would have a little fun and tell him a price I believed no one would pay for one simple article

Funny thing, "belief".

To look at the other side of the coin, I'd honestly never have become a writer in the first place if I believed that large numbers of people wouldn't pay $100 for an article. (And I say that as someone who's rarely earned more than $60 for an article, by the way, just in case anyone imagines I'm claiming that I regularly write $100 articles!).

There are people earning 10 times this for articles, Robin. And plenty of them, not just a few.

Originally Posted by pheonix44

There are people who do not know they can have articles written for a small amount of money. What do you guys think?

I think there are many people who know that to have the articles they need written for a small amount of money is going to be so difficult, time-consuming and reliant on trial and error that they'd rather pay a professional writer a fair price for the high quality work. And there are many who know that $100 is a small amount of money. Fortunately.

[Lou Diamond]

Hello,
let's talk more about this when you have the money in your hand.

[freefor15.com]

some people rarely update there websites and are not doing article marketing on a mass scale so they can afford to get really good content. But if they pay $100 for a thousand word article they should really get a good one.

Every person is different so we all have a different price guage for things. Asking for a higher price is free and it pays off sometimes

[bryemidas]

I think a lot of people believe article writing is beyond their capabilities... or maybe their just plain lazy... I can sure find better ways to spend $100!

[pheonix44]

Hello,
let's talk more about this when you have the money in your hand

Way ahead of you, I wrote that article the same day.

[Jobe4212]

Originally Posted by bryemidas

I think a lot of people believe article writing is beyond their capabilities... or maybe their just plain lazy... I can sure find better ways to spend $100!

To someone making $500,000 year, except for a personal site they're
passionate about, $100 is nothing if the writer is good.

Outsourcing means you have better things for your time.
It occurs at every level.

Presidents and executives have paid thousands of dollars
for a single page to read aloud.

[Fraggler]

Who is the bigger fool? The one who values an article at $100 or the one who has been spending their time doing the same work for a fraction of what they could have been charging...

[Kevin Williams]

Originally Posted by Marc Rodill

Lol.

Offline marketing is a big thing, right now?

Nah.

Marketing is a big thing. Period.

(That is, if you own a business, or whatever.)

Remember, the internet is just a medium ...and it hasn't been around that long

Marc

Of course I mean more recently in internet marketing it seems that offline marketing has been getting more and more popular. Along with WSO's of course.

[Rebtl]

In terms of actual journalism its pretty common for writers to get $1.00 a word for big publications, so really its not that uncommon at all.

Rebtl

[Mukul Verma]

Thats excellent. When I stop dealing in person in my niche and went 100% online, I would still get people asking for in person, so I would say $100 for a $35 online service and people would bite.

In person takes more of your time, that to me is why say no over doing in person, however most people (this group is the exception) trust it more then online and will pay.

You will pay or get more offline, but you spend more time on a transaction. Online is on your own time and you reach more clients.

[Nick Brighton]

I know of a handful of magazines that are willing to pay as much as $2000 for a feature length article with pictures...and $100 for a 300 word article.

Just because unskilled freelancers drive down the market value in certain marketing circles online, it doesn't mean the entire world out there suddenly wants crappy, worthless, badly written and barely researched 400 word articles with no original thought...

...or that they suddenly believe lower cost = better quality.

[mello]

Originally Posted by Bev Clement

A writer I know was told the offline person expected to pay at least 3 times the amount they charged them.

$100 is what I normally charge for a 1,000 word article, and for web content it would have been $300. My rates are for online and offline. Last week we were paid $3 a word.

I was an advertising copywriter in a former life but bizarrely enough written very little since focussing more on internet stuff. Maybe I should get back into it!

[Raydal]

I can't understand the alarm. I get $150 per article and get
repeat business. The only hurdle is that I can get more per
word for a sales letter than an article.

I would never think of even charging less for an article. But
then there are articles and there are articles.

-Ray Edwards

[greenowl123]

I know a guy who regularly charges 200 to 300 bucks per article.

It all depends on what niche and of course how good of a writer the person is... not everybody can demand that amount of money because the quality is just not there.

I have seen other writers and even at $3 per article they were getting paid too much.

[Ross Bowring]

The difference between most well-paid copywriters and most struggling day to day copywriters? And article writers for that matter. One group has the balls to ask for more money, the other doesn't.

[gravtex]

We as internet marketers tend to get a little locked into the prices of our world. I have a good friend who gets paid $400-$600 for every article she writes (usually 2000-3000 words), but keep in mind the quality expected there is quite a bit higher and requires some actual research.

Gary

[Joseph Then]

Originally Posted by greenowl123

I know a guy who regularly charges 200 to 300 bucks per article.

It all depends on what niche and of course how good of a writer the person is... not everybody can demand that amount of money because the quality is just not there.

I have seen other writers and even at $3 per article they were getting paid too much.

Yeah, I have met writers who charge a discounted rate of $0.30 per word, that's $120 for a 400 words article.

[pheonix44]

Yeah, should be more like one thousand dollars for a hundred word article

The picture you have in your avatar talin is what makes this really funny. I can't stop smiling.

[John Romaine]

...the library aye?

[Tom Turner]

Yes, offline you can get away with allot more... However, the local face-to-face factor really plays into it.

He must have recognized you as an expert since you said you are at the library all the time. You study and research allot.

Tom

[pheonix44]

Yeah sometimes I go there when I need to do research and I get tired of looking on the internet. I also get lonely as heck sometimes here and it feels good to be around people.

[Marcus Paul]

I have found that in order to get good, well-written, well-organized and researched content I find that I need to pay .10 to .15 per word. Anything less and I usually end up with crap that, while readable, is just vanilla and uninformative.

Ad agencies who need copywriting spend $500 for a 1,000 word piece, and that's because they can't risk getting a piece of garbage.

[Zeus66]

The Elances of the world have ruined a lot of the writing gigs out there. But there remains a solid core of buyers who understand the power of well written content. As Ray said earlier, "there are articles and there are articles." Just like in the copywriting world, you can pay for a $100 sales letter and good luck with that, just like you can pay for a $4 article and good luck with that.

The market will always reward talent that produces results.

John

[jbode]

If you can write effective articles then people will be happy to continue paying a high price...

People are naturally lazy and many don't want to learn new things - take advantage of it!

[AM Faisal]

thats too much money for a 1000 word article

[mattlloyd]

I want to sit in that library and wait for that guy. I won’t wait for him to ask me. I’ll ask him myself.

[Dave777]

Some good guidelines and ideas if you're thinking of getting into the higher end Money making writing services business! Canada eh? Just add USD pricing...
"What should I charge for my work"
or "How much do I pay a writer?"
writers.ca • find a professional writer in canada

Dave

[Platinum Matt]

I once did this years ago... Somebody asked me for a design (I don't design nowadays) and it was a simple 1 page website, I said $1,000 because I didn't want the work.. He said Ok.

Awesome!

[Platinum Matt]

Oh and my guess is, that guy will expect a pretty awesome article with some well researched coffee mug stuff in it, not some keyword stuffed SEO article about how great coffee mugs are to drink from

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by Bruce_Richards

thats too much money for a 1000 word article

Well, you won't be hiring me next month. (My rates go up to 10 cents a word on the first.)

[pheonix44]

that is usually the difference when people pay more, the time you spend doing more research.

[Jays80]

Everyone may not understand quality of work you bring to table.

Originally Posted by CDarklock

Well, you won't be hiring me next month. (My rates go up to 10 cents a word on the first.)

[Lance K]

Originally Posted by Zeus66

The Elances of the world have ruined a lot of the writing gigs out there.

Actually, they've just made the distinction between those writers with sales skills and those without a little clearer.

[pheonix44]

Shucks, the library will be closed for the next four days.

[Alexa Smith]

Originally Posted by alexlucky2007

I pay 0.035$ per word is it too much? But I do this for specific niche and there are not so many good writers about it.

No, it's cheap. 3.5c per word, if the articles serve their purpose for you and you can get what you need reliably at that price, is a real bargain!

[Paul Hancox]

Folks, it's not just the OFFLINE world. Do you think the top content providers online really want crappy, rehashed content on their sites?

Yes, there IS a market for rehashed $1 articles that send you traffic.

But there is ALSO a market for darn fine quality content, carefully researched, and given a uniquely original spin.

The key is HOW you market your service, WHERE and TO WHOM.

Not every marketer on the Internet is a "bum" marketer

[johnhoefer]

$100 is very cheap for a 1,000 word article. One of the best insurance copywriters charges $1.25 per word....yes, per word.

Magazine article writers charge the same. Don't forget the point of your work product, to make them money. If you write them a great article or ad copy that allows them to sell 1,000 coffee mugs at $15 each, or 1,000 insurance policies at $300 in revenue each for the next several years, your work product is worth much more than you think.

[anu_smart]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


PLEASE GIVE ME AN INRO TO THAT GUY


I'm an article writer as well, i write original copy-scape passed content on a given niche..Am not gettin such ricchhhhh clients

[Lance K]

Originally Posted by Paul Hancox

The key is HOW you market your service, WHERE and TO WHOM.

Exactly, Paul.

Some freelancers are in the article writing business. While others are in the business of marketing/selling their writing services. It's the same as any other business. Those who also spend time working ON their business generally have more success than those who ONLY work IN it.

If you think you can't charge more, you're probably right. If you want to learn how to ask for higher fees and get clients to willingly pay them, get ahold of a copy of Dan Kennedy's Brass Balls presentation. Also, pick up a copy of The E-Myth Revisited .

[Hesaidblissfully]

Originally Posted by greenleaf200

There is a sucker born every minute. It's like with anything else in life, if you have a source that most others don't have. Your pricing is going to be a bargain in there eyes.

I wouldn't consider him a "sucker". If he can afford it and he's getting his money's worth, then good for him. Sure, he could've gotten the article somewhere for cheaper, but hey we all spend money every day on stuff that's sold at a big margin of profit for the seller.

Having said that, when you present yourself like a professional, people tend to treat you like one. If the guy sees you as a professional writer who's going to write something top-notch for him, $100 probably does sound like a drop in the bucket. In fact, if you charged less than that, he might begin to doubt how much of an expert you really are.